Coalition for Change

The Coalition for Change was pleased to learn that the Connecticut Humane Society has hired an experienced shelter executive with an excellent reputation for creating positive change as its new Executive Director. Gordon G. Willard has led animal care and control programs, spay/neuter programs, and community outreach efforts on behalf of animals for 26 years. He most recently worked as a Florida-based consultant for organizations that included the American Humane Association's Shelter Evaluation Program. 

We congratulate the Society for hiring an eminently qualified candidate with a reputation for openness and integrity, who has demonstrated an ability to work with other animal organizations, both locally and nationally, to achieve common goals.

As Mr. Willard works to solve the problems that have plagued the Connecticut Humane Society for many years, we hope he will be open to meeting with members of the Coalition for Change and other area animal welfare advocacy groups. We believe our input will be vital in his effort to right the course of the Connecticut Humane Society and return it to the fulfillment of its mission. 

Another animal advocacy blog we love, YesBiscuit, posted a reader letter today that spoke very well to what we in the Coalition feel about a vision for animal shelters.  I've posted a brief excerpt below. 

The Press Conference scheduled by Legislators for Animal Advocacy for this Wednesday, June 16th at 11:00 AM will now include Union and employee/workplace issues in addition to a number of important animal concerns. It will be held at the Legislative Office Building, room 1-A, at 300 Capital Ave. in Hartford.

Five employees were unjustly terminated in late 2009 and early 2010, immediately following the successful election in which Connecticut Humane Society employees voted to join the Machinists Union.  The CHS Board of Directors and management continue to fight the certification of that election along with a fair settlement and/or reinstatement of the fired employees. There are also still serious concerns about management's unfair treatment of the current workers, who deserve the representation of the Union that they voted in more than six months ago. 

For further information about the Machinists Union's involvement, contact Everett Cory at 860-828-0359.

Legislators for Animal Advocacy has rescheduled their press conference, originally slated for Thursday June 10. It will now be held on Wednesday, June 16th, at 11:00 AM.  It will be held in the same place, the Legislative Office Building, room 1-A, at 300 Capital Ave. in Hartford.

The press conference is being called by the Legislators for Animal Advocacy who have raised a number of questions and concerns that were a result of the Attorney General's interim report.  The Attorney General's investigation of CHS is on-going.  These state legislators have posed a number of questions to the Office of Legislative Research in an attempt to gain information in certain crucial areas.The Legislators for Animal Advocacy, including Representatives Diana Urban and Annie Hornish, will be calling for a moratorium on all behavioral euthanasias until all necessary information is obtained and examined.

We hope you will be able to make it and apologize for this schedule change with such short notice.  This is an important event, since it is the kick-off of a new investigation into the policies, practices, and procedures at the CHS.